In order for electronic devices to communicate, a wireless or wired protocol (i.e., standard) defines hardware and software parameters that enable the devices to send, receive, and interpret data. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has allocated different frequency ranges (spectrums) for different wireless protocols. For example, the 802.11(a) protocol provided by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) specifies operating in a frequency range from 4.9-5.85 GHz (part of the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band). Also, the Worldwide Interoperability of Microwave Access (WiMAX) protocol specifies operating in frequency range from 3.3-3.8 GHz and from 5.4-5.825 GHz. More recently, the Ultra Wideband (UWB) protocol specifies operating in a frequency range from 3.1-10.6 GHz. The UWB protocol is based on Multi-band Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and is defined by the ECMA-368 specification provided by the WiMedia Alliance.
Because the UWB frequency range cuts across the frequency ranges specified for other protocols such as the 802.11(a) and WiMAX protocols, the possibility of interference between UWB-based devices and other devices (e.g., 802.11(a)-based devices or WiMAX-based devices) exists. Obviously, preventing or reducing interference between the different devices is desirable.